Wired Jesus Podcast

Wired Jesus Podcast 6 – Retreatin’ In the City

Apr 6th, 2005 by Tom Lyberg

Here I am in sunny Columbus, Ohio – 75 degrees, flowers coming out, right in the middle of campus of my old alma mater, Capital University, as pastor in residence. I just finished showing one of the religion professors the ins and outs of podcasting and he is just blown away by the possibilities. I had just seen on TV yesterday that Duke University and Apple have begun a trial program for using Ipods as standard school gear – very interesting stuff – and was thinking along the same lines for recording lectures, study aids, etc… He is being taught the wonderful world of all things ipod by his 8th grade son. He was amazed when I showed him one of my favorite meditation sites – orthotracts.org and click on the Trisagion Prayers to view icons and 2,000 year old prayers set to a Barber string piece. He was stunned – if the Orthodox have moved onto the net – and they change slower than any other Christian tribe – we mainliners are completely missing the boat with postmoderns. My point exactly.

Hope you enjoy my reflections of finding myself being on retreat in the heart of the city and a college campus, along with the links that I mention in the podcast. The one that is missing but is part of my thoughts on my glory days here in the 80s (good lord, I’m turning into Bruce Springsteen) – the famed Jan Polet Hit Test.

You can download the podcast here.

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Posted in Wandering, Wired Jesus Podcast | 3 Comments »

Rest In Peace, John Paul II

Apr 5th, 2005 by Tom Lyberg

I have to admit, I was worried about the close proximity of the deaths of Terri Schiavo and the Pope would really become a clouded mess. Instead, I think the Pope’s death transformed the whole sitution from a legal battle to a spiritual discussion of meaning in the face of suffering and death. Whether you agreed with the Pope’s positions on faith and life, he always seemed clear and compassionate at the same time. Further, is example in suffering seems to have had a profound impact on people who had to deal with the trivializing of Terri Schiavo’s last days from both political fringes. A raging argument about rights and law turned into reflection on how is life well lived. A telling compliment that I saw on TV was an Italian atheist who was being intervied who said, in essence, “I don’t believe in God but if there is a God, I hope he sends another Pope like that man.”

‘nuf said.

Posted in Death and Dying, Wandering | No Comments »

Podcast Snafu

Apr 1st, 2005 by Tom Lyberg

Lost my internet connection while uploading the podcast, so I’m not sure what that is going to do to the RSS feed. I’m uploading the complete podcast now, so you should be able to access the full pocast by 10AM.

Technology, got to love it.

Posted in Technical Issues, Wired Jesus Podcast | No Comments »

Wired Jesus Podcast #5 – The Carnival of Death

Apr 1st, 2005 by Tom Lyberg

After a week break, I’m back with a new podcast – my reflections on the whole Teri Schiavo fiasco. No wired links on this one but since it can be found on nearly every blog, many podcasts, and the news, I’m sure you have your own. When President Bush is talking about creating a “culture of life” out of all this, all I see is a “carnival of death”, with sideshow freaks and carnies on both sides claiming moral superiority and the spiritual high ground. I have no use for either side and I don’t see god in either place. My take is that God is in the midst of it all, embracing the suffering, enduring the questions that have no easy answers, and walking with us to an unexpected new life that trumps the scientific fact mongers and the Bible thumping fanatics. Thatâ€™s what Holy Week was all about, cross and resurrection, choices of death and life in a broken world that is fixated on a carnival of death.

What do you think the implications are of all this – for the country, for us individuals, and for people on the spiritual journey?

Click here to download the podcast.

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Posted in Death and Dying, Wired Jesus Podcast | 3 Comments »

Quote of the Day

Apr 1st, 2005 by Tom Lyberg

Clint Eastwood – Interview With Time Magazine:

“Extremism is so easy… if you go far enough to the Right, you’ll find the same idiots coming around from the Left.”

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Wired Jesus Podcast #4 – Proof of God?

Mar 23rd, 2005 by Tom Lyberg

Somehow, someway, I managed to pull it off – get the taxes off in the mail, get things ready for weekend services (thanks to a very talented staff), and deal with the usual stuff at church – and still got this podcast in.

Consider it a happy Easter for postmoderns who aren’t interested in proof but an experience.

The one site I reference in the podcast is A Different Perspective: The Blog and Podcast of Alan Hartung. A good podcast that explores connecting postmoderns with a church that needs to engage the 21st Century. The pocast caught is his March 10 broadcast called War on the Sermon. Good comments for us pastor people to hear.

Well, off to bed and the home stretch of Holy Week.

Click here to listen to the podcast.

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Posted in Friends, Will the Real God Please Stand Up?, Wired Jesus Podcast | No Comments »

New Look

Mar 22nd, 2005 by Tom Lyberg

Check out the new look! The same designer as the old WordPress template did this one and I abosolutely love it for Wired Jesus! The lone traveller, the fast subway train, the edgier feel… just seems to fit.

Sadish Balasubramanian and Patricia Muller host WPThemes.info and if you are a WP user, you really should check out their site. Great theme templates to work with.

Well, taxes are done and other than making copies of everything before trusting snail mail to deliver to my tax lady, on to the rest of Holy Week and maybe a short podcast tomorrow night.

Let me know what you think of the new look. It has some additions, like the top tool bar that I plan to develop more but I’m always open to suggestions. At this point, not everything is working but I like the change and new options.

Posted in Wired Jesus Basics | No Comments »

Geek Dancing During Holy Week

Mar 22nd, 2005 by Tom Lyberg

Still wrapping up my taxes, so I hope to get a podcast squeezed in late tonight or sometime tomorrow. However, just to keep you occupied – I like to collect dance mixes and mash ups and being Romanian (on my dad’s side), I had discovered Dragostea Din Tei by the Romanian group Haiducii (and the Ozone versions) a while ago. What I had somehow managed to miss was this little video, now affectionately called the Fat Dutch Boy, although it turns out that he is from New Jersey. It has been posted all over and I just happened to miss it, but in case you have missed it, here’s a little something to put a smile on your face until the next podcast.

Click here to see Dragostea Din Tei by The Fat Dutch Boy

The scary thing about this is not that my wife and boys can see me doing something like this, they already have. Hey, even internet geeks need to dance and workout! 🙂

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Wired Jesus Podcast #3 – Welcome to Ginkworld

Mar 18th, 2005 by Tom Lyberg

I planned on posting this Thursday but got sidetracked until tonight. Welcome To Ginkworld is an introduction to the christian postmodern site ginkworld.net, my current homepage when I boot up Firefox. I also take a little time to reflect on how there are few places in the church to ask the tough questions of belief and unbelief without being labeled as in appropriate or a troublemaker. Ginkworld and Wired Jesus are two places where you are welcome to ask away.

Like I mention in the podcast, next week is Holy Week and Easter, the high festival days of the Christian Church and hell week for pastors (literally and symbolically – take your pick), so I will be lucky to get one podcast off. Check in here for updates and watch your Ipodder for the next podcast.

Also, wired jesus is now on podcast alley, so if you would like to vote for us, just search for our entry and hit vote.

Lastly, thanks for all the comments, emails, and passing on the podcast to your friends. keep passing the good word on.

Click here to download the podcast.

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Posted in Friends, Leadership Resources, Wired Jesus Podcast | 2 Comments »

Wired Jesus Podcast #2 – Extreme Makeover Edition

Mar 15th, 2005 by Tom Lyberg

Here it is – Wired Jesus Podcast #2. Besides including the thanks you mentioned in the previous post, I take a look at the phenom of reality shows as an expression of real community in the postmodern world, specifically ABC’s Extreme Home Makeover. Its hard to say who learned from who – reality shows from the Early Church or if the Church needs to learn from reality shows. Either way, their success in the ratings points to something deeper – a hunger for authentic caring communities in a lonely world and the open door for the church to become that for a new generation.

Here are some links to check out that I mention in the podcast.

Reality Blogs by Steve Knight A blog dedicated to reality shows with an EPIC lens

Leonard Sweet and EPIC – A new way for the church to connect with postmodern culture.

ginkworld.net – The site to be explored for the next podcast. One of my favorite places to wander.

Click here to down load the podcast.